Becoming Kyoshi
by NowI'mFreeFalling
Summary: Before Kyoshi became an incredibly powerful Avatar she was just a teenage girl trying to discover her own view of the world and working on mastering all four elements. During her journeys she discovers hardship, love, loss, and what it means to be the Avatar. R&R&ENJOY!
1. The Avatar State

A/N: Before Kyoshi separated her island, defeated Chin, or created an elite unit of earthbending warriors she was just a teenage girl trying to discover her own view of the world and working on mastering all four elements. During her journeys she discovers hardship, love, loss, and what it means to be the Avatar. This story is a mix of what was learned about Kyoshi throughout the show and some things I created. Enjoy and please leave comments on your thoughts.

One

295 BG/BSC

The Terra Erde Peninsula sat at the tip of the southwestern tip of the Earth Kingdom. It was a mountainous region full of pine trees and small freshwater streams. Winter snows fell early and melted late. The people were hard working, loyal, and kind. Kyoshi was born and raised in the peninsula. She loved everything about it. It would forever be the place she called home even during her travels.

"Kyoshi, do you think you're ever going to go and learn to bend the other elements?" Kyoko, her younger sister, asked as they laid in their beds. The harvest season had just ended and the days were getting colder fast. They'd stuffed straw in the window cracks to their room earlier in the day hoping to keep the cold out.

"And leave you and mom and dad here?" Kyoshi laughed at the thought. Someone may have come by proclaiming her to be the Avatar a few years ago but that didn't mean she had to accept it. She was content with her earthbending, her family's farm, and the little town she called home. She had her family and her friends here. She didn't want or need anything else.

"Don't you want to see other things? Mom and Dad always say they'll be okay if you go." Kyoko rolled onto her side, leaned her head into the palm of her hand, and looked at her big sister. Kyoshi was two years older than her but it was hard to tell. They looked so incredibly alike they were often mistaken for each other. Both had long, dark brown hair and big brown eyes. It became so difficult to tell them apart when they put on the traditional make up and robes of the peninsula for formal events that even their mother had problems telling them apart.

"Not really," Kyoshi rolled away from her sister's gaze, "I'm happy here. What good does the ability to bend fire, air, or water do for me?"

"You probably don't want to leave because Caius is here," Kyoko teased. Caius was the only boy in the village near Kyoshi's age. He was also incredibly average and Kyoshi loved average. When you're the opposite of average you tend to seek it out.

"That isn't it," Kyoshi said but she was glad her face was turned because she felt herself blush. Despite long summer days in the sun working the family farm neither Kyoko nor Kyoshi had tan skin. Both had milky white skin, something her mother said women all over the Earth Kingdom would envy them for. Kyoshi didn't understand why, every emotion was visible on her. He anger, her embarrassment, even her happiness was expressed through her skin.

"If you say so," Kyoko giggled, "good night. I'm glad you don't want to go because I'd be incredibly sad to be stuck here while you adventure about. I'd also have to start having night time conversations with myself since you'd be gone."

"Sounds tragic," Kyoshi said and closed her eyes as the blackness of sleep consumed her.

Kyoshi awoke to screams that night. Wild screams of panic and fear from the streets pushed through the walls. Kyoko woke when she did and they were both out of their beds in an instant. They dressed quickly, without really seeing or thinking about what they were doing. They ran down the stairs, eager and terrified of what was happening outside their home.

"Girls," their mother pulled them into her arms, "you must sneak out the back quickly and go hide."

"What's going on?" Kyoko asked. Their mother looked terrified. Their father wasn't in the house. They could smell the smoke from outside seeping into their house.

"The Azibo Clan is outside," Their mother said as calmly as she could.

"Why? We gave them what they wanted last month," Kyoko said, her voice shaking.

"Someone must have not paid enough," Their mother tried to sound soothing as she spoke. She was still in her night gown. She was brushing Kyoko's face with her hands, their mothers hands were dark and cracked from years spent working the land.

"Come with us," Kyoshi felt hot tears welling in her eyes but she blinked them away. The Azibo Clan was cruel and incredibly strong. Made up of both fire and earth benders they were able to control the entire peninsula and other sections of the southwestern Earth Kingdom. Each harvest season they demanded parts of everyone's' harvest. When someone didn't fully pay their entire town suffered.

"They will question why there is no one here. They'll know to look," there was a pounding on the front door, "You must go now and hide. Come back no sooner than two days, they keep men around to search out survivors. They should be gone by then. Kyoshi protect your sister."

Kyoshi wanted to stay and fight but Kyoko was pulling her away. Her mother was right. Kyoko couldn't bend. She needed Kyoshi in case they ran into trouble. She allowed took the lead as the exited the house through the back door.

The town was in chaos. People were screaming and homes were burning. Kyoshi felt so many emotions rushing through her that she couldn't lock in and hold onto any one of them. They all kept slipping from her grasp as she ran. She didn't look back, just ahead where Kyoko was now steps in front of her. The forest line was near and from there they could go to the mountain hills. There were homes built into the hills that were abandoned during a landslide more than four decades earlier. The girls knew some of the homes people were still able to get in to, they'd gone there as children with their grandmother who'd been born in one.

They were almost to the trees when a tall, light-haired man stepped out of the shadows of the forest. His face was lit by the fire. He grinned a smile so terrifying Kyoshi felt she may be sick. She pulled Kyoko behind her.

"That really is quite sweet, Little Bird, but you can't save her from me. You won't even be able to save yourself," his grin widened.

"I can take on one thug," Kyoshi growled.

"Why do you think that, Little Bird?" The man asked as he leaned against a tree. He stood so leisurely that Kyoshi knew he didn't feel threatened by her.

"I'm the Avatar," Kyoshi made herself stand tall. She rarely told people that she was the Avatar but she figured it would intimidate him.

"And I'm the King of the whole Earth Kingdom," The man nearly collapsed with laughter, "Whoever the Avatar is he isn't no girl and he isn't here in this pathetic little village."

Kyoshi felt her blood boil. How dare he think that she couldn't be the Avatar. Even though she hadn't learned anything besides earth bending she was the Avatar. She'd never used her bending to fight anyone before but the Village benders all learned from the elders how to fight in case of an emergency such as this. The man pulled himself from the tree but he kept his leisurely posture. This enraged her even more and without hesitation she attacked.

The man was a fire bender and destroyed all the rocks she threw at him with fireballs, the dirt crumbling to ash and blowing away into the breeze. Kyoshi didn't stop, she felt Kyoko behind her. Kyoko needed her protection. The man started a fireball assault and despite Kyoshi's best attempts to block she was scorched several times as they grazed her skin.

She felt herself getting tired and knew if she was to win she needed to start attacking. She took a deep breath and started hurling rocks at him. He was caught off guard by the sudden switch from defense to attacking. She took his surprise as the opportunity to open a hole in the earth beneath him; he had no time to jump out of the way. He fell within and she closed it quickly.

"Come on," Kyoshi grabbed Kyoko's arm and started pulling her into the woods. Kyoko stumbled behind, in shock from the unfolding situation. They made it a bit into the woods when they heard the howls of dogs and the crackling laughter of men hungry of blood following behind them.

"Keep going. Hide in Granny's old house like we did as children," Kyoshi summoned every ounce of strength and bravery she had to keep her voice from cracking; "I'll lead them away and meet you there."

"Just come with me," Kyoko was crying. Kyoshi hadn't noticed the tears until now.

"They'll track us," Kyoshi put on a smile but she felt her stomach lurching, "If I don't come by tomorrow then go to the next village and find Uncle. He'll go to the village with you and bring you back to mama and papa."

"You'll be there." Kyoko said as she shook. Kyoshi pushed her away towards the hills and she watched as Kyoko disappeared into the trees. She then stood her ground, forcing her body to remain still. She was the Avatar, she could do this. It only took about ten minutes for them to find her.

"Just a girl?" one of the men laughed. He was a greasy man covered in scar, "'Ey, pretty little lady it wasn't very smart for you to be out here all alone. Maybe we should escort you?"

The dogs were growling but stood by a man in the back, waiting for their piece of her. She knew that'd come after much worse if she lost. There were four men in all. The greasy man who was eyeing her with a look that made Kyoshi's insides shudder. Two must have been siblings for they looked incredibly similar with dark eyes and rusty colored skin. The one standing by the dogs had light eyes and a nervous look to him, as if he was just as uncomfortable with these men as she was.

She didn't wait for anyone to speak more. She just started attacking. The siblings must not have been benders because they pulled out long knives from their belt loops. The greasy man started grumbling and blocked her attacks with a rock defense. The light eyed man lit his hands with flame. As they started their attacks she realized this was a losing battle. She started to retreat, running in a different direction that the ruins. There was another village ten miles from hers where she could get help; she just had to get there. She flung up rock walls behind her as a defense.

She didn't get far as a ball of fire hit her shoulder and sent her sprawling into the dirt. She lay crumpled against the base of a tree, her shoulder and the previous burns she'd received throbbing. She must have bit her lip when she fell, she tasted blood.

The greasy man pulled her up by her long dark hair and pressed her to the tree. Kyoshi squirmed and screamed. She felt him pulling at her clothes, grabbing at her, and she heard him speaking but her head was throbbing, she couldn't understand his words. She tried to fight, her strength gone. Then she fell into blackness as one of the siblings hit her in the temple with the back of their knife.

_She awoke in a land of light. She was surrounded by warmth and a line of people. She knew they were spirits, she could just sense it. Was she dead?_

"_Welcome to the spirit world," a water tribesmen gave her a warm smile. He looked sad, worn out, and tired. But she felt a connection to this stranger, "I am Avatar Kuruk and these are your past lives."_

"_I was once all of you?" Kyoshi was shocked, "If I am seeing you am I dead?"_

"_No," a fire bender stepped forward, "we are merely here to help guide you out of this. We hope that with our help now you will go on to learn all the elements and fulfill your destiny as the Avatar."_

"_I realize now that had I learned all the elements I could have helped save my village." Kyoshi managed to keep her tears at bay. Kyoko was the soft and sensitive one, the one who needed protecting. Kyoshi was the warrior. That truth was becoming clearer every second. _

"_You must not blame yourself for this," Kuruk said, "I have blamed myself for a lot even now it haunts me. All you can do is learn and move forward." _

_Kyoshi felt warmth within her and then an incredible power surged through her veins. _

When Kyoshi awoke the men were all dead. She thanked her past selves and turned to run towards the ruins where Kyoko waited for her.


	2. Grandmother's House

Two

295 BG/BSC

Kyoshi awoke with the bodies of her attackers littered on the ground, all dead. She instantly thought of Kyoko and tried to make her way towards her sister's hiding place. She moved slowly though and her mind was blank and she felt numb. She recalled the dream she'd had of the previous Avatars and it took her a few moments to realize it wasn't a dream. She sat down, all adrenaline and strength depleted. She felt exhausted and tried to process things in her mind but her mind was so numb it was all a blank.

"They must have helped me," she spoke aloud. She sat slumped against the old tree in confusion. She sat there for what must have been hours but felt like minutes. Her hair blowing in the breeze, her burns from the fight throbbing, her mind sitting as motionless as her body. Nothing was going to be how it'd been before. She knew this fact deep down inside her heart.

Finally she felt her feet move and her body reawaken. The sun was moving upwards in the sky and warming the chilly air. She brushed the dirt off her as best she could and started the trek towards the ruins where Kyoko waited for her.

She wasn't far from them, about two miles. The walk up the steep hills awoke her body fully and her mind. She was starting to connect things. She vaguely remembered the people who came to see if she was the Avatar telling her about something called the Avatar State and how she could pass into the spirit world. It was foggy, she wanted no part of her destiny then and she was still unsure how much she wanted it now. But being the Avatar had saved her life.

When she reached the ruins of the old village she made her way past the outskirts of it. A few homes stood completely intact and abandoned. People left after the landslide, moving to where the new village sat. Further in some of the homes were only partially intact and some were only accessible through an old broken window or a crack in the walls; the rest covered by the dirt and rubble left by the disaster. Kyoshi knew where her sister was hiding. Their grandmother lived in this village as a young girl and her house was one of the ones partially swallowed by the landslide. You could get in through a window and almost the whole house was intact. Kyoshi's great-grandfather was an earth bender and made the house, like many of the few remaining houses, incredibly durable. Only one of the bedrooms and part of the kitchen had been completely destroyed.

Climbing through the window Kyoshi called for Kyoko. She heard footsteps above her and rushed to the rickety, crumbling staircase. Kyoko rushed down and crushed her sister into a hug. Kyoshi didn't want to let go. She felt her sister's tears before she felt he own. It was rare that she cried but she didn't fight it.

"Are you okay?" Kyoshi pulled her sister from her and held her at arm length. She was fine, a bit dirty from the hike and crawling through the window into the old home.

"I am. I am!" Kyoko wiggled out from Kyoshi's protective grip, "but you're not."

"I'll be fine. They're just a few burns and scratches," Kyoshi smiled, "We should go out and pick some berries and go to the stream. We can eat them and then we can go back to the village later tomorrow."

"You should wash off your injuries in the stream," Kyoko said as they made their way back out the window. Kyoko grabbed an old basket that their grandmothers family had left behind.

There were berries all over the woods and the girls spent hours picking them. When they'd finished they had a basketful of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and more. They'd even found an apple tree and picked a few of them as well. They stopped at the stream last and didn't stay long.

The stream led through their village too and they knew it may be unsafe to stay too long. They took turns drinking and rinsing off while the other stood watch. Kyoshi quickly washed the dirt from her skin and rinsed her wounds. She knew Kyoko would be upset if she didn't and they could also get infected if they weren't properly attended to. But, without being able to return home yet rinsing them was the best option for now.

They returned to the old home just after midday and nestled upstairs in what used to be their grandmother and great aunt's bedroom. They silently sat and picked at the berries. Neither felt terribly hungry but knew they were. They were on edge and afraid. They didn't dare mention their mother or father, they feared the worse. They knew it was pretty unlikely either survived but they held on to a glimmer of hope. The day moved slowly after they returned. The anticipation was awful and the girls were exhausted.

"Get some sleep and when you wake up I'll sleep for a little bit," Kyoshi told her sister. Kyoko could barely keep her eyes open.

"You must be tired too," She yawned but laid down on Kyoshi's lap. Kyoko was the little, fragile sister. The one who needed protecting and needed to be babied, Kyoshi knew this. Kyoshi wouldn't know what to do half the time if she didn't have to be looking out for Kyoko, her carefree and normally optimistic sister.

"You need the sleep more," Kyoshi ran her hand through her sister's hair and soon Kyoko was asleep.


End file.
